Month: November 2017

The new Avengers: Infinity War trailer was incredibly popular. Marvel today announced on Twitter that the video passed 230 million views in its first day to become the most-viewed movie trailer ever within its first 24 hours. The new Avengers trailer dethrones It, which previously held the 24-hour record with 197 million views over that time.

The superhero epic brings together basically every hero from the last decade of Marvel movies in their fight against the evil Thanos, who is played by Josh Brolin. Check the trailer out above, and click here for a full trailer breakdown

In other news, social media research company Fizziology found that people really enjoyed discussing Captain America’s beard from the new trailer. Mentions about his facial hair picked up more than 20,000 mentions on Twitter in the first seven hours following the trailer’s release. That number of mentions is more than many trailers get in total over their first seven hours, according to THR’s breakdown of Fizziology’s numbers.

Overall, Infinity War is the most-discussed trailer over its first seven hours of all time, picking up 1.1 million Twitter mentions, surpassing Star Wars: The Last Jedi (784,000).

Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. It’s directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who previous helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. It’s the first of two upcoming Avengers movies that the Russo brothers have directed, with the currently untitled Avengers 4 due in May 2019.

Where To Stream 4K Movies And TV Shows

Prices on 4K TVs have come down dramatically over the past few months and there’s more ultra high-definition (UHD) content to stream than ever. In light of new consoles that support 4K streaming, we’ve rounded up all the popular 4K streaming services and organized them alphabetically in the following gallery.

What you’ll Need

In addition to needing a 4K TV and a 4K streaming device like the Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, or Nvidia Shield, you’ll want a good internet connection. We recommend one that’s rated at least 25 megabits per second.

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime costs $99 a year or $11 a month and comes with Amazon Prime Video, which provides access to several 4K movies and original TV shows such as Man in the High Castle, The Tick, and The Grand Tour.

If you’re not interested in paying for the faster delivery service and simply want the streaming capabilities, you can pay $9 per month just for Amazon Prime Video.

FandangoNOW

FandangoNOW allows users to rent or purchase from a selection of over 200 UHD movies. Rental prices start at $6 and popular movies include Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Fate of the Furious, and more. You can check out the complete list of 4K films here.

Google Play

Google Play allows users to rent or purchase digital copies of 4K movies. There are over 130 UHD films to choose from. You can check out the complete list here.

Hulu

Hulu costs $12 a month for its premium no-commercial subscription. The streaming service offers the entire James Bond collection in 4K along with many of its own shows, which include The Handmaid’s Tale, Shut Eye, Chance, and more.

iTunes

Apple’s iTunes allows you to stream a plethora of 4K movies including Wonder Woman, Baby Driver, Alien: Covenant, and more. It also doesn’t charge extra for UHD content. While iTunes allows you to download standard HD videos, one caveat here is that you can only stream 4K movies, and can’t download them. Apple also recommends a minimum internet speed of 25 megabits per second.

Netflix

Netflix supports 4K streaming, but you need the premium tier, which costs $14 per month. The company shoots many of its own shows natively in 4K, including popular shows like Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, and Daredevil.

Netflix recommends an internet speed capable of 25 megabits per second or higher, or else the feed will dip below 4K.

UltraFlix

UltraFlix is an app that focuses on delivering UHD content. The service has over 600 hours of 4K videos, 100 of which is free. Rentals range between $2 and $10, and are generally based on how recent the movie is. UltraFlix requires an internet connection that’s capable of at least six megabits per seconds, but recommends 25 megabits.

Vudu

Vudu is an on-demand service that lets you rent and buy movies that support 4K HDR, such as Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more. You can check out the complete list here. Movie rentals start at $4 and the company recommends a minimum 11 Mbps internet connection.

YouTube

YouTube offers a plethora of 4K content. In addition to the UHD videos that users personally upload, the streaming service allows you to rent or buy popular 4K movies. To see if the movie you’re interested in streaming is UHD-compatible, look to see if it features a 4K tag under its description.

Head-To-Head: Xbox One X VS PS4 Pro

The Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro share a lot of similarities. Both are mid-generational upgrades that are capable of making games look and perform better than their respective predecessors. Both are also newer flagship consoles that are geared (and priced) towards enthusiasts with 4K TVs. But which one should you get? In this head-to-head article, we’ll break down winners across five categories: specs, design, game library, operating system, and value/features.

Just looking at the comparative spec chart above, it’s hard to see how the PS4 Pro can win here. The Xbox One X essentially has more of almost everything.

Both consoles use a custom 8-core AMD CPU, but the Xbox One X’s processor is clocked 200MHz faster at 2.3GHz. In the GPU department, the Xbox One X has an even bigger advantage. Microsoft’s recently-released console offers six teraflops of graphics performance. This is 1.4 times as much as the PS4 Pro.

The Xbox One X also offers 12GB of GDDR5 RAM. Microsoft says that 3GB of it is reserved for operating-system tasks, with the rest of the 9GB going towards games. This, alone, is more than the entirety of the PS4 Pro’s 8GB GDDR5 allotment.

In terms of storage, both consoles offer a 1TB hard drive and allow you to use external USB drives for additional storage. One advantage that the PS4 Pro offers is that it allows you to swap the HDD out for an SSD or bigger drive.

While the PS4 Pro has a Blu-ray player, only the Xbox One X has one that’s capable of playing 4K HDR media.

Ultimately, real-world performance is going to come down to how developers can leverage either console’s hardware, but on paper, the Xbox One X has better overall specs.

Winner: Xbox One X

Design

Both consoles sport a matte black finish. Arguably the biggest difference between them is that the Xbox One X is significantly smaller at 11.8×9.5×2.4 inches (29.9×24.1×6 cm), which makes it Microsoft’s smallest console yet. In comparison, the PS4 Pro measures a much larger 12.8×11.6×2.1 inches (32.5×29.4×5.3 cm). Despite its smaller size, the Xbox One X is 1.2 pounds heavier than the PS4 Pro, weighing 8.4 pounds.

In terms of ports, both consoles offer three USB 3.0 ports, SPDIF, and Ethernet connections. The PS4 Pro does have a port for its PlayStation Camera, however, whereas the Xbox One X features an extra HDMI-in and an IR-out.

Both consoles run very quiet, but the Xbox One X does run warmer and consumes more power. In our testing, we clocked the Xbox One X consuming over 170 watts during gameplay. At the same time, temperatures rose past 61 degrees Celcius. Conversely, we clocked the PS4 Pro consuming around 150 watts with temperatures hovering in the mid 40 degrees C during similar tests.

Despite this, we’re going to give the nod to the Xbox One X for its smaller footprint and its clean, minimalist design.

Winner: Xbox One X

Games Library

To make this comparison as objective as possible, we counted all the games that scored 70 and above on our sister site Metacritic to see which console offered more compelling games.

At the time of this writing, the PS4’s library comes ahead with 796 games. It’s exclusives consists of notable games like Persona 5, Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, and Horizon Zero Dawn.

The Xbox One’s library consists of 563 games that have scored a 70 and above. It’s anchored by console exclusives such as Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Ori and the Blind Forest, Cuphead, and Killer Instinct. It’s important to note that if you missed the Xbox 360 generation, Microsoft has enabled backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games, too; some of which will get Xbox One X enhancements.

This category should ultimately come down to your personal preference, but when you look at the raw numbers comparing this generation’s games, Sony’s console currently comes out ahead here.

Winner: PS4 Pro

Operating System

While the user interface for PlayStation’s operating system is simpler than Microsoft’s, the Xbox One’s UI has undergone numerous overhauls. Its newest dashboard, released last month, is its most responsive and arguably best iteration yet.

It still has a deeper learning curve than the comparatively minimalistic PlayStation equivalent, but it offers more features like 4K video capture, Cortana voice support, and integrates Microsoft’s Mixer streaming app into the OS, which provides lower latency video streams than Twitch.

While Xbox’s new dashboard offers slightly more features, it is less intuitive than Sony’s solution. Whereas the PlayStation UI pushes a simpler design that puts a greater emphasis on your games, Microsoft’s UI is more cluttered and highlights news, deals, games, apps, and entertainment. The Xbox One operating system does allow you to simplify navigating by allowing to you pin your favorite apps and games to the home menu, however.

Both Microsoft and Sony’s UI have their strengths and weaknesses, but at the end of the day, owners will mostly use their consoles to play games and stream movies/TV shows. Both systems support your standard array of popular video streaming apps that include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video and more. Considering both consoles do good jobs of getting you to your most-played games and apps, we’re calling this one a draw.

Winner: Draw

Value and Features

The Xbox One X comes with AA batteries to supplement its included controller, whereas Sony bundles in a supplemental USB charging cable with its peripheral. We prefer Sony’s solution a bit better here since it saves users the trouble of purchasing additional batteries. The PS4 Pro also includes a mono headset, whereas the Xbox One X does not.

While you can stream 4K HDR videos on the PS4 Pro, Sony’s console doesn’t come with a physical 4K HDR Blu-ray player like the Xbox One X. Microsoft’s console does cost $100 more at $500, however. Another advantage that the PS4 Pro offers is that it supports virtual reality through its PlayStation VR headset. Microsoft’s console currently does not support VR.

When we take into consideration its cheaper price tag, included goodies, and VR support, we’re going to give the PS4 Pro the nod when it comes to value and features.

Winner: PS4 Pro

Conclusion

Coming into the conclusion, we have two wins for the Xbox One X and two wins for the PlayStation 4 Pro. As we’ve highlighted in this story, both consoles have their strengths and weaknesses.

Perhaps the biggest advantage that the PS4 Pro offers is its bigger, arguably more compelling game library. At the same time, however, the Xbox One X has its own exclusives, will likely play third-party games better, and comes with a 4K HDR Blu-ray player.

It’s a good idea to base your choice on what exclusives you prefer and what system your friends game on. Do you prefer franchises like Halo and Gears of War? Or are you more of an Uncharted and The Last of Us fan? The good news is that both high-end consoles are great and you can’t go wrong choosing either one.

The voice actors behind Life Is Strange‘s two main characters will reprise their roles in the upcoming bonus episode for the prequel series, Before the Storm. Ashly Burch voiced Chloe in the original Life Is Strange, but she was replaced by Rhianna DeVries due to the SAG-AFTRA voice actor strike. With the strike over, Burch is coming back to voice Chloe again, while Hannah Telle is also returning to voice Max.

DeVries is still working on the bonus episode, which is called Farewell, as she’s doing some of the motion capture work for young Chloe. In a statement, Square Enix sung DeVries’ praises and said the company is “forever thankful” to her. You can hear directly from Telle and Burch in the video below.

Before the Storm is set three years before the events of the first game. You play as a 16-year-old Chloe who becomes friends with a character named Rachel. “When Rachel’s world is turned upside down by a family secret, it takes this new-found alliance to give each other the strength to overcome their demons,” reads a line from the game’s official description.

Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’s Deluxe Edition includes the Farewell bonus episode, and Square Enix says this is the last chapter to feature both Chloe and Max. In other news, Before the Storm’s third and final episode, Hell Is Empty, is now having its “final stages of polish” put on it ahead of release. The game is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

A handful of new rewards have been added to the My Nintendo program. While most of the rewards come in the form of discounts on select 3DS and Wii U titles, as per usual, they also include full game downloads for a couple of well-received indie titles on both platforms.

For a limited time, My Nintendo members can redeem their Gold points for four possible games–two across each console. 3DS owners can choose from Toki Tori 3D (20 Gold points) and Retro City Rampage DX (80 Gold points). Those with a Wii U, meanwhile, can exchange their points for the shoot-’em-up XType Plus (30 Gold points), as well as the stylish pop-up book adventure game Tengami (80 Gold points). Each reward will only be available until January 27, 2018.

In addition to the aforementioned titles, December’s batch of rewards also includes discounts on several Wii U and 3DS titles from Nintendo. On Wii U, members can get 30% off of Nintendo Land (50 Gold points); 3DS owners can get a 20% discount on Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World (60 Gold points) and 50% off Tokyo Crash Mobs (270 Platinum points).

Posts navigation

Hey everyone, I'm Jonathan but people will know me as Jon... I enjoy hiking and exploring the outside world as well as getting to see fantastic views. It can bring you to the most beautiful places on earth and into contact with amazing plants and wildlife and can be done all year round which is why I enjoy it so much despite it being challenging sometimes due to the weather - it has allowed me to meet a lot of new people and experience things I wouldn't have before. I also find it relaxing and interesting.
I also really enjoy blogging and sharing my experiences with similar people. Hopefully you will read mine.
My company Adventures Gate displays my other hobby - gaming! I love collecting items to do with gaming and playing in general. I guess I am a bit of a geek when it comes to this. Adventures Gate now offer free postage options when you spend more than £20 (there may be a small additional charge for larger items). That`s free 1st class post in the UK and free airmail to Europe.